Halo of Fire
by Lady Dracon
Summary: After Voldemort's return to power, he attempts to resurrect Slytherin in his desperation to gain power. In order to do stop him, Harry must locate the four talismans before he does. But Draco is the only one who know where they are..
1. Mystic/Mayhem

Disclaimer: Straight and Simple: Me no own Harry Potter. Capice? Rated R for itty-bitty sexual content. And possible 'weird' pairing.  
  
  
  
Chapter 1 :: Mystic and Mayhem  
  
  
  
Draco sighed with boredom as he idly toyed with Pansy's hair. He was lying naked wrapped within silk-sewn comforters after doing one of the things he reveled in during these days… yet he was unmistakably bored. Bored of Pansy. Another sigh escaped his lips.  
  
Pansy sleepily looked into his silver-grey eyes. " Draco, darling, what's wrong?"  
  
You, he was tempted to say, but instead he frowned and got up from the bed wearily. He quickly pulled on a deep green robe with a silver emblem of a snake, the avatar of Salazar Slytherin. He gazed at Pansy, his expression masked. "I have to go." He said shortly.  
  
"Drac-"  
  
Draco swept out of the room, not looking back. Walking quickly through the hallways of the Malfoy Manor, his steps echoed on the marble floor with precision. Thoughts raced through his head. Pansy didn't really love him. She was another one of them. Manipulative bitch. Draco had received an almost telepathic ability ever since his thirteenth birthday without warning. Part of some dumb prophesy by some unknown seer captured by Voldemort's groupies, he recollected. He had used his newfound abilities to tap into her mind last night discovering that she was just using him to get to the Malfoy's wealth and prestige.  
  
Draco took a deep breath and pushed the whirlwind of thoughts out of his mind. He had somehow wandered into the lower levels and reached a solid door nearly the height of the manor- above ground. The door was engraved with realistic carvings of snakes and an ancient rune inscribed in the stone blockade. He paused, hesitating before reciting in an ancient tongue. He raised his hand, gesturing towards the door as the last few words echoed in the far recesses of the level. The door didn't budge at first but soon gave way to a dark corridor leading into a large ballroom. He confidently walked into the room, in his usual swagger.  
  
The decorum of the room was rich, yet tattered and antique. Heavy draperies hung about in scarlet waterfalls and a large brazier lit the whole room, flickering blood red light in every corner. The walls were bedecked with manifold and multiform amorial trophies and a varied collection of artifacts from around the world lay resting on marble pedestals. In the middle of the room was a throne, and on it sat Voldemort with Nagini on his lap and his father on his right hand side.  
  
"Master." Draco bowed. "I have come to serve you."  
  
Voldemort looked on with a gleam in his eyes, thoughtful. "Then you shall, my dragon," he decided. "Then you shall."  
  
***  
  
Harry awoke with a start, coming out from the dream world that plagued his sleep with nightmares. The usual, he decided, Voldemort at the head of an apocalyptic world. He sat there for a while, wondering if the dream was actually prophetic before he was snapped out of his reverie by a certain munchkin-shaped-cardiac-arrest-waiting-to-happen, Dudley Dursley.  
  
"Wake up scar-boy." Dudley said, munching on a bag of chips. Ever since Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had given up on the whole diet plan, Dudley had been eating anything he could get his hands on.  
  
Harry glared at him, not being in the mood for Dudley's daily round of torture. It was not torture that Dudley called him names or anything, but rather the fact that Dudley actually had nothing better to do than base his life on making life a hell for Harry. Quite pathetic really. He almost felt sorry for poor over weighted Dudley. Almost. "If you were mentally intact, you could obviously tell that I am awake already."  
  
Dudley stared at him, his face paling slightly. Recovering, he looked at Harry with a smirk and went downstairs.  
  
Harry sighed and went downstairs to see the whole house in chaos. Uncle Vernon was running around the house turning red and shouting at a young cab driver while the poor man was trying to juggle the luggage Aunt Petunia was piling on his arms. "What's going on?"  
  
Uncle Vernon turned and gave him a nasty smile. "We're going to France for a year."  
  
"What about me?"  
  
Aunt Petunia scowled before answering. "You're staying here. You think we could actually risk being seen with the likes of you?" The young cab driver slowly made his way out the door with his arms full of luggage while Petunia followed him, scrutinizing. Dudley brushed past him with a slight grin.  
  
Everyone piled into the car leaving Harry on the doorstep gaping after them. "What about Hogwarts?" He cried out. But by then, the car had already backed out of the driveway and drove off. Harry went back inside to an unusually quiet house, feeling a mix of both relief and excitement. He had never had the house to himself before. It was eerie. How was he going to get to Hogwarts? He wondered, wrinkling his eyebrows at the tiny dilemma. He decided the best way to solve the problem is by consulting Ron and Hermione.  
  
He turned to go up the stairs when he thought he heard a tiny 'click' in the backdoor. Must be the Dursleys returning after playing a prank on me with the whole "France" thing, he thought bitterly. Then, he spotted a printout sheet of the arrival and departure date of the Muggle air ticket. He narrowed his eyes and cautiously made his way to the kitchen.  
  
Upon hearing another 'click', he hesitated. He didn't exactly know if it was his own imagination playing tricks on him. He stood there for a few seconds, listening, hearing only the eerie silence of the empty house and his own heart pounding, he exhaled, without realizing that he had been holding his breath the whole time. He started to turn around when something made him freeze in his tracks.  
  
CLICK! An unmistakable sound.  
  
Harry caught his breath and swiftly grabbed a poker from the chimney. His socks muffling his steps from the hardwood floor, he crossed the dining room and flattened himself against the wall near the kitchen entrance. Breathing unsteadily, he inched his way closer to the kitchen. Closer and closer.  
  
Suddenly a metallic odor filled the air, leaving a sour taste in Harry's mouth and throat. A creature, moving faster than humanly possible leaped through the connecting rooms, landing in front of Harry. It had long legs and stood upright as a human does. Its skin seemed to be made of bronze, and two glassy eyes stared out at him. It was almost cute, until it opened its mouth, revealing rows of needle-like teeth and gave out an inhuman shriek that imploded in Harry's head, causing it to throb in pain. Harry jumped back just as the creature struck out with it's razor sharp claws, raking the air in front of Harry's nose.  
  
Harry stared dumbly in shock at the near miss. RUN! His mind screamed at him. His mind went blank as his legs wobbled themselves away from the creature. He ran to the cupboard under the stairs only to find the creature blocking his way. It leaped at him with fury, and he threw himself to the side. It sailed over him and collided into the opposing wall. Smoke and debris rained down on impact.  
  
Harry took the forgotten poker in his hand, broke the lock on the cupboard and grabbed his wand before the creature recovered and came back for round two. The creature screeched and leaped at him again. It had recovered with a speed Harry didn't anticipate.  
  
"Stupefy!" The spell hit the creature and ricocheted off its bronze metal- like skin. Even though the spell didn't have its intended effect, the sudden movement confused the creature for a moment, giving Harry enough time to duck out of the way. Harry looked in horror as he realized that probably all his spell would ricochet off the skin armor. Scrabbling to his feet, he tripped over the poker on the floor. Grabbing it as he fell, he whipped it around, catching the creature in its abdomen. The creature shook off the blow and swiped at him again. This time it didn't miss.  
  
So this is the end, Harry thought with finality as he slammed against the wall. Pain shot through him as his vision spiraled into darkness.  
  
***  
  
Malfoy screamed in agony as a skull with a serpent was burned into his arm. He enjoyed seeing the looked of pain on the other death eaters that were initiated when he was little but now he truly realized what they went through. It wasn't just a physical sensation, but more of the mental as well. He could almost feel his soul being ripped out and abused with a dull knife twenty million times over. All the sudden, it was over. He clutched his arm and collapsed onto the hard stone ground. All the while, one thought echoed through his mind. It hurts. Understatement of the century. A metallic taste slid down his throat as he swallowed. He had been biting his tongue the whole time.  
  
Draco fixed his eyes dully on the white glow in Voldemort's hands. That's mine, give it back! He wanted to shout. But instead, he just lay on the floor, grimacing in pain.  
  
Voldemort deposited the glow into a box. Draco stared at it, entranced, pain forgotten. It was not made of any material that he knew of. It contained a glossy surface with metallic colors, warping into each other.  
  
"It's a Hsanov box." Lucius mentioned casually, seeing the mystified look on Draco's face. "One of the rarest materials in the world. It's said to come from the ancient dragons in the Sylon Mountains. Virtually indestructible." He sneered. "Ministry practically put it on my hands."  
  
Voldemort closed the box with a snap and turned towards Lucius. "I can feel my power returning to me. The glorious days when people cowered under the name of Lord Voldemort will return soon. But first, the destruction of Harry Potter." His eyes flashed. "Lucius-."  
  
"I understand my lord." Lucius bowed gracefully. "Draco."  
  
"Of course father." Draco drawled. His pain was beginning to subside but with each movement came a fiery pain. He stiffly got up and followed Lucius out the door. It closed behind him silently.  
  
Voldemort looked up when the last of his servants left. Only servants. None of them even worthy of living except for young Draco. Yet, they all have their uses. He smiled maliciously. As soon as Salazar Slytherin is resurrected, they will all die and we will rule the new world together. He held out his hands and Nagini slid into his palm.  
  
Mysss Lords, Hows are you goings ssto retrieve the four talismansss to resurrect Masster? Nagini hissed.  
  
I already have one, Voldemort replied in parseltongue. He absentmindedly stroked a jeweled chalice resting on a marble pedestal. The sword lies in Hogwarts and the wand in Belisaere.  
  
But lords, hows iss you goings to findss the fourss one?  
  
Once I find all three, the three will draw the last one out, and then it will be revealed to me. Voldemort sat on his throne, deep in thought. "Patience, Nagini. Patience."  
  
  
  
  
  
*********************Chapter Finite Incantatem @  
  
My first chapter! Weehee! Wonder if I really killed Potter. I know people are probably pissed at me for making Draco a lousy death-eater and this chapter doesn't exactly do much for his sexy side but I'm working on it… I know this chapter is really slow but I have to explain the plot ya know? There might be some romance in the next chapter or whatever. Hope you liked it! Enjoy, don't forget to review. Feedback, constructive critism, yadda yadda yadda. Pretty Please? I need to know if it's any good in order to continue writing! 


	2. The Beginning

Chapter 2: The Beginning  
  
  
  
Harry was cold. Not I-need-a-blanket-cold but mentally chilled. I'm dead right? He tried to get up but it seemed as though his body was so far away. Where am I? Memories of the Dursleys leaving the house to him and the attack of the creature came rushing back at him. So concentrated was he on figuring out exactly what happened that he nearly missed hearing a voice calling his name.  
  
"Harry-"  
  
Who said that? He thought, confused. All he could see from his position was darkness.  
  
"Harry-"  
  
There it was again. It was a haunting, dreamlike voice. It sounded around him, never truly revealing where it came from. It was almost like it was mocking him. It sounded almost familiar, but he couldn't place it.  
  
"Harry-" This time, a wraith-like apparition began to materialize before him. It started to slowly resemble a woman.  
  
Harry's throat tightened. "Mother?" The word felt strange on his tongue. Unused.  
  
The apparition smiled.  
  
"Mum!" He cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks. He could suddenly move but he felt significantly lighter somehow. He reached out towards her. Lily looked at him for a while before throwing her arms around him, hugging him hard. He was surprised that she was pretty much solid. "What-".  
  
"Quiet, we don't have much time." She said urgently. "I have a message for you."  
  
"Am I dead?" He said, confused, wiping the tears away from his eyes.  
  
"Not exactly. You are in-between. But it's not your time yet. You have to go back soon." She looked at him sadly.  
  
"What if I don't want to go back?" Harry whispered. "What if I want to stay with you?"  
  
"No." Lily answered, shaking her head, looking wistful. "You are an important part of the future. Your death could change everything. Besides, you have to bring something back." She held out her hands. Nestled in her palm was an amulet.  
  
He took it from her, awed. There was a dark red jewel in the center and a thin silver disc encompassed it. Intricate etchings on the silver flared up before growing dim again. He looked up after a while and saw that she was somehow becoming more and more transparent. "Mum?"  
  
"I have to go. It was my greatest desire to hear you call me mother. I'll always love you Harry." Her voice sounded faint but Harry could hear the emotion in her voice. "Keep it safe..." She said, as she disappeared completely.  
  
Harry looked down at the amulet as a wave of sadness washed over him. He closed his eyes as tears spilled down. The amulet flared a bright red as a single tear dropped onto its center.  
  
When he opened his eyes again, he was blinded as light assaulted his eyes. He blinked. When his vision cleared, he recognized the white walls of Number 4, Privet Drive. He clutched at the amulet and assured himself that it was not a dream.  
  
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley appeared within Harry's vision, looking down on him, smiling worriedly. "Harry. Are you all right?" The whole Weasley lot, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley, minus Charles and Bill were behind her, peering at Harry anxiously, trying to discern whether he was more dead or alive.  
  
Further on behind them was a group of official looking ministry wizards, Hagrid, and-- Professor Snape??? Harry did a double take.  
  
"Harry? Are you all right? Can you say something? Make a noise." Ron peered in his face worriedly.  
  
"Arghh-." Harry cleared his throat. "What is going on?"  
  
"You were attacked, honey." Mrs. Weasley frowned. "We were so worried that you might not make it."  
  
Harry slowly moved, testing his arms and legs. He only had a few bruises here and there.  
  
"What is that thing, anyway?" Ron asked, pointing to a circular cage that almost half the people in the room were crowded around. A bronze creature raged within it, attempting to pounce on its passive audience.  
  
"THAT would be a Morgrien." A silky voice interrupted. Snape glared at Ron and Harry.  
  
"But they haven't been sighted for nearly five hundred years. It's a myth." Mr. Weasley countered, skeptical.  
  
"And if they do exist, why would they attack a child?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, looking concerned at Harry.  
  
"For one thing, that's what we have been trying to find out." Snape sneered. He looked a bit putout by the questions.  
  
"But Professor," Harry began tentatively, "what exactly is a Morgrien?"  
  
"Elvish creatures, nearly impossible ter kill."  
  
"Hagrid!" Harry shouted with joy at the voice.  
  
"'Arry!" Hagrid scooped him up and started hugging him. "You evil bugger! You got me here so worried."  
  
"Umm, Hagrid?"  
  
"Hmm? Yes?"  
  
"I think you're squishing me."  
  
"Oh. Sorry." Hagrid put him down and ruffled his already messy hair.  
  
"This is most unusual." Snape muttered.  
  
"What is?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
  
"Only Slytherin could command these creatures. Voldemort-." He caught himself when the whole Weasley family winced at his words. "I meant, when You-Know-Who attempted to create an army of morgriens, he failed. Only someone as powerful as the Founders of Hogwarts could have been able to control this creature." Snape paused.  
  
"And judging from the fact that morgriens hasn't appeared since the days of the Founders, it couldn't have come without help." Mr. Weasley finished the thought, his forehead creased with wrinkles.  
  
"Lo! I'm Wesley." A thin blonde Ministry wizard passing by them smiled at the group. "Ah! You must be Harry Potter!" He exclaimed, turning to Harry, shaking his hand with him. "Harry was very lucky to survive the assault. Most people wouldn't even last three minutes. Quite lucky." He ruffled Harry's hair and went off.  
  
Ron made a face that said, was that guy weird or what?  
  
Mrs. Weasley paled at the thought that Harry might not have survived. "Harry, maybe you should stay with us for the rest of the summer." She said nervously.  
  
"Absolutely not." A female voice interrupted. An Auror stood there with her arms crossed. "It took seven Aurors just to bring that thing down and five more to bind it. Who knows what would have happened if this house has been any further. He should be living closer to the wizarding community."  
  
"I'll arrange for the boarding at the-" Snape began.  
  
"At your place." The Auror cut in smoothly.  
  
Snape glared at her. "No. No and No." Harry and Ron nodded their heads, agreeing with Snape.  
  
"Yes Severus. Harry needs a safe place to stay and you can provide that." Fred and George started gagging. Mr. Weasley frowned and slapped them over the head. The Auror continued, ignoring them, "It's only for a few weeks. Besides, you owe me."  
  
Snape gave Harry a withering look and sneered. "All right, I'll do it. But one toe out of line, Mr. Potter, and you'll regret it." With that, he turned around and stalked moodily out the door, coat flying out behind him.  
  
"Drama queen." Ron commented, only loud enough for Harry to hear. Harry snickered.  
  
"I should get my stuff now." Harry said. He found his wand under a table, apparently knocked under there before he passed out. Then remembering the amulet he still clutched in his hand, he lifted it over his neck and rested it there. He quickly got his chest out from the cupboard and made his way to the front door. Snape was sitting inside a small car. Harry pushed his possessions into the back and opened the door to the passenger seat.  
  
"No, you sit back there." Snape snarled, motioning to the back.  
  
Harry sighed and got into the back, sitting on his chest, uncomfortably.  
  
It was going to be a long ride.  
  
***  
  
They arrived in front of a three-story house; its walls were entirely made of cold bricks, creating a very unwelcoming effect. Snape got out of the car and stalked into the house without looking back at Harry even once.  
  
Fine, be like that, Harry fumed. Pretend I'm not even here. He slowly dragged his chest up the wide stairs to the entrance. Going through, he stared in awe at the hall. The ceilings were as tall as the Sistine Chapel and stairs went spiraling up, as if into heaven. Snape sure knows how to live, he thought, staring slack jawed at the ornaments and engravings on the banister. Must be magically enhanced since the house barely looks larger than the other ones in the neighborhood.  
  
"Are you going to just stand there drooling all over the floor or are you going to come up?" A voice called out from above him.  
  
Harry looked up and saw a young girl with short black hair, wearing a deep blue robe. He slowly trudged up the stairs and once on top, he heaved his chest on the floor, panting from the effort.  
  
"You know, you could have left that for the servants." The girl smirked, gestured to his belongings. "Then you didn't have to sweat all the way up. By the way, Rianna Snape."  
  
"Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you." Harry replied absent-mindedly, and then snapping to attention once her name registered in his mind. "You're Professor Snape's daughter?" Since when did he have a daughter? Harry thought. He doesn't seem to be a family guy.  
  
"Surprising, huh? But actually I am." She admitted. "I get that a lot."  
  
She doesn't even seem to be as evil as her father. Maybe this won't be as bad after all.  
  
"Come on", she said, dragging Harry. "I'll show you where you'll stay."  
  
***  
  
She ran hard until she was out of breath, collapsing against a tree. She panted in exhaustion as she lay in the serene forest. Completely opposite of the turmoil and pain inflicted upon her when they took him away. They took him away, those few words echoed through her head, calling at her mockingly. She choked down a sob as she remembered of the events of two nights ago. Her parents have passed away exactly the year before. All she had since was Timmy, her little brother, two years younger than her. And he was counting on her to take care of him. And I failed, she thought. Her throat felt stuffy and dry from trying not to cry. They were wearing robes and one man was carrying a book, the Bible. She recalled. They bound him up. He was screaming and crying in a shrill voice, "Anya, help! Make them stop! Make them stop!" They tried to tie her up too. But that when IT happened. The ground started shaking, only at their house, as she later found out. And the windows began to rattle, exploding into tiny sharp fragments. The man in the white robe carrying the book started praying and screaming something about the devil and spawns of evil. He took a club and knocked Timmy out. Then it stopped. Everything ended. They took him away. Her life ended. By now, she was sobbing mercilessly in the grass.  
  
"Give him back!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed in all her fury and anger.  
  
It was their entire fault. The witch-hunters.  
  
***  
  
Harry sat at the end of the dining table, far away from Snape, to his relief. The dinner conversation was minimal and consisted only of 'Pass the bread', 'Pass the peas', and occasionally an order from Snape to one of the house elves. Apparently Hermione's S.P.E.W. house elf liberation campaign had no effect here. After a while, the silence and tension grew to so that Harry quietly excused himself. He almost expected Snape to give him one of his usual glares but the Professor just waved his hand at him without paying attention. He seemed to be preoccupied with something.  
  
Happy to get away from the table, he wandered through the halls, looking at the moving family portraits of the Snape household. Each face seemed to be sneering at him, as they moved pompously from frame to frame.  
  
Wandering on, he soon discovered that the rooms of the house beyond the main corridors seemed to move erratically, shifting positions on the hour. Harry soon grew confused and tried to find his way back. Just when he thought he took the right turn, he ended up in front of a dead end.  
  
Bloody hell, he cursed softly under his breath. There was nothing there save for a round stone table with a small statuette of a unicorn protruding from the top. He was about to turn back around when he noticed something peculiar about the wall. The edges were not properly connected and the wall was slanted, he realized upon closer inspection. He raised his eyebrows. Secret compartment? He put his hand on it and gave it a hard shove.  
  
It didn't move an inch.  
  
"Open Sesame!"  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Abracadabra!"  
  
Nothing.  
  
He took out his wand. "Alohomora!" The spell just hit the wall and disappeared.  
  
Not that I expected it to open either, he thought, embarrassed. Turning around, his hand smacked into the statuette of the unicorn, tilting it back. With a grinding noise, the wall slid back, revealing a dark tunnel.  
  
Harry stood there, wide-eyed. This day is getting weirder and weirder, he thought. "Lumos!" He commanded, as light erupted from his wand. He aimed it at the gaping hole, and hesitated a moment, before he determinedly ventured in towards the unknown.  
  
***  
  
The cauldron bubbled and steam emitted into the air. A cloaked figure reached into his robes and extracted a vial containing a single black hair follicle.  
  
"To know thy enemy is to be thy enemy." He murmured, holding up the small vial to his eye. "Everything has been laid out. Soon, my lord will rise up once again, and I will be by his side."  
  
He then took the vial and threw it into the potion as it turned a sickly orange-green color. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he closed the volume of 'The Moste Potente Potions'.  
  
  
  
***************************** Chapter Finite Incantatem @  
  
This chapter was mostly focused on Harry… making up for nearly killing him in the last chapter. Hmm… more unresolved problems I See. Anyways, tell me what you think. And thank you for those of you that reviewed!!! ^_^ 


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